"synopsis" may belong to another edition of this title.
The other star of the novel is youngish art historian Martin Clay (a Hugh Grant character gone to fat), who identifies the lost Bruegel in a tumbledown country home. The picture elicits an immediate shock of recognition:
Already, somewhere in those first few instants, something has begun to stir inside me. In my head, in the pit of my stomach. It's as if the sun's emerging from the clouds, and the world's changing in front of my eyes, from grey to golden. I can feel the warmth of the sunlight spreading over my skin, passing like a wave of beneficence through my entire body.The sight of this masterwork glimmering through the "grimy pane of time" fires up Martin's customarily dilettantish intellect, and he decides to secure it for the nation--and make himself a fortune--without revealing its true value to the owner. Much double-dealing, bamboozling, and suppressed hysteria ensue as he and the owner try to outfox each other. Yet the heart of the novel is Martin's search for the meaning of the painting that has become his "triumph and torment and downfall." Bouncing from gallery to museum to library, he delivers an extended (and entertaining) lesson on iconography and landscape.
As Martin's obsession takes hold, the pace of the novel also accelerates into a breathless rush of action, comic anguish, and scholarly speculation. Not surprisingly, some of Martin's machinations go haywire, which leads to a certain amount of irritating slapstick--shady deals in underground parking lots, art treasures being tipped into the back of a filthy Land Rover, and so forth. But even if he makes his plot work overtime, Frayn is superb in the quest for the meaning of art, not to mention the lure of money and intellectual reputation. And for that alone, Headlong deserves to be called picture perfect. --Eithne Farry
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Book Description Condition: New. Seller Inventory # 15572950-n
Book Description Condition: New. Buy with confidence! Book is in new, never-used condition. Seller Inventory # bk0571283489xvz189zvxnew
Book Description Condition: New. New! This book is in the same immaculate condition as when it was published. Seller Inventory # 353-0571283489-new
Book Description Paperback. Condition: new. Paperback. When a local down-on-his-luck landowner asks Martin Clay, a young would-be art historian, to value some paintings, Clay suddenly sees the chance of a lifetime: the opportunity to perform a great public service, and at the same time to make his professional reputation - perhaps even rather a lot of money as well. Believing one of the paintings to be a missing masterpiece he hatches a plot to bring the picture into his own possession. As Clay stumbles headlong into the moral and intellectual labyrinth of his own devious plan, things start to go badly out of control. A striking new repackaged edition of Michael Frayn's Booker shortlisted comedy thriller, set in the world of fine art. Shipping may be from multiple locations in the US or from the UK, depending on stock availability. Seller Inventory # 9780571283484
Book Description paperback. Condition: New. Language: ENG. Seller Inventory # 9780571283484
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Book Description Condition: New. 2012. Main. Paperback. When Martin Clay, a young would-be art historian, believes he has discovered a missing masterpiece. The owner of the painting is oblivious to its potential and asks Martin to help him sell it, leaving Martin with the chance of a lifetime: if he could only separate the painter from its owner, he would be able to perform a great public service. Num Pages: 400 pages. BIC Classification: FA. Category: (G) General (US: Trade). Dimension: 198 x 127 x 26. Weight in Grams: 304. . . . . . Seller Inventory # V9780571283484
Book Description Condition: New. 2012. Main. Paperback. When Martin Clay, a young would-be art historian, believes he has discovered a missing masterpiece. The owner of the painting is oblivious to its potential and asks Martin to help him sell it, leaving Martin with the chance of a lifetime: if he could only separate the painter from its owner, he would be able to perform a great public service. Num Pages: 400 pages. BIC Classification: FA. Category: (G) General (US: Trade). Dimension: 198 x 127 x 26. Weight in Grams: 304. . . . . . Books ship from the US and Ireland. Seller Inventory # V9780571283484
Book Description Condition: New. Seller Inventory # 15572950-n
Book Description Paperback. Condition: New. Main. Special order item direct from the distributor. Seller Inventory # R9780571283484